IMPACT OF SARCOPENIA ON SURVIVAL OUTCOMES IN MULTIPLE MYELOMA PATIENTS
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Keywords
Sarcopenia; Multiple myeloma; Progression-free survival; Skeletal muscle index; Gender differences; Prognosis
Abstract
Background: Sarcopenia, defined as progressive skeletal muscle depletion, has gained attention as a potential prognostic marker in hematological cancers. Nevertheless, its clinical relevance in multiple myeloma remains inadequately characterized, particularly regarding gender-specific variations.
Objective: This investigation sought to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia among newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and evaluate its relationship with progression-free survival, treatment outcomes, and gender differences.
Methods: A prospective cohort comprising 72 treatment-naïve multiple myeloma patients was recruited at Assiut University Hospital between 2021 and 2022. Computed tomography-derived skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra served as the primary sarcopenia assessment tool. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling were employed for outcome evaluation.
Results: Sarcopenia was identified in 52.8% of enrolled subjects. Sarcopenic individuals demonstrated substantially reduced median progression-free survival compared to non-sarcopenic counterparts (9.5 versus 11.8 months; P=0.002). Gender-stratified analysis revealed that sarcopenia significantly compromised survival in males (P=0.004) while showing no statistical significance in females (P=0.191). Multivariate regression confirmed sarcopenia as an independent adverse prognostic determinant (hazard ratio: 2.66; 95% confidence interval: 1.37-5.14; P=0.004).
Conclusion: Sarcopenia constitutes a prevalent condition among multiple myeloma patients and independently predicts unfavorable progression-free survival, with pronounced effects observed in male patients. Routine sarcopenia screening may enhance risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making in this population.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Mohammed Abu-Elmaaty Mohammed
Department of Internal Medicine, and Hematology, Assiut University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt.
